Wang Yi meets Palestinian & Israeli leaders to boost peace talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has left Israel and the West Bank to continue his tour of the Middle East. His next stop will be Algeria. During the past few days, Wang met leaders from both Palestine and Israel to boost the peace process.

China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has ended three days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, just days after telling a symposium on foreign affairs that China was conducting its diplomacy across the world with a broader vision and more enterprising spirit to make a greater contribution to world peace and stability.

In Ramallah, he threw Chinese support firmly behind the peace talks between Palestine and Israel.

"War does not solve the problems. Violence increases the hatred. The peace talks are the appropriate and the only path," he said.

He celebrated 25 years of official Chinese-Palestinian relations and pledged Chinese support for training and infrastructure projects.

In Jerusalem, Minister Wang told Israeli technology executives to imagine a car built with a Jewish brain and a Chinese engine. And he told Israeli President Shimon Peres that Israelis must work for peace.

"Peace needs to be made through taking initiative and will not happen on its own. Peace needs be won with hard work rather than waiting," he said.

But the Palestinians are hoping that China’s interests extend beyond economics.

"China is interested in seeing the peace process successful, meeting the demands of the Palestinian people. Thus far the role of China in the peace process is not wide. We hope it will be increased because to us China will play a balancing role at least to counter the biased, double-standard role that the Israelis keep in this Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said Abdullah Abdullah, Fatah Deputy Int'l Commissioner.

One of the major projects being financed by the Chinese government is the new $4m Palestinian Ministry of foreign affairs being constructed here in Ramallah. Palestinian leaders are hoping that this visit from the Chinese foreign minister will mark the beginning of a new phase, not just in support for Palestinian diplomats but also support for Palestinian diplomacy.